Watermelon for your dream body
Watermelon
The sprouting plant comes from the tropical regions of Africa and is almost 96% water. It contains about 3.3% carbohydrates, very little protein and fat, but is rich in minerals and vitamins A and C.
A cultivated watermelon can normally weigh up to 20kg. Its flesh is usually red with black seeds. Wild watermelons taste insipid or bitter, while the imported varieties have a sunny sweetness. Watermelons like extremely hot, dry areas. China, Turkey, Iran, Brazil, Egypt and the USA are the main growing countries. In some regions watermelons are still cultivated primarily for their nutritious seeds, which are eaten and used for cosmetic purposes due to their oil content.
Melons for drainage & curbing your cravings
The delicious, ripe, red flesh of watermelon is the bit that gives figure-conscious women the most pleasure. Watermelon is very low in calories, but it’s also a healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth. There are almost no restrictions on how much you eat. It can also make you feel quite full. It helps drain the body. A few juicy pieces make a good snack between meals. You could put it in a fruit salad with other melons, or combined with apricots, kiwi, nectarines and peaches.
Recipe ideas
Yoghurt mixed with pureed watermelon is great for breakfast. For a change, how about a bowl of muesli with little cubes of watermelon or watermelon, honey and quark on toast? For dinner you could have a salad with feta, yoghurt, mint, salad leaves, a few black olives, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and watermelon. The classic of melon with ham and brown bread is another low calorie supper.
Watermelon with fish
As with any diet, eating a restricted diet for longer than 3 days can cause deficiencies that can affect your health. It’s best to simply supplement your normal diet with watermelon, adding it to light main courses like fish, chicken and vegetables. For example, couscous with spinach, lemon mousse and a few of pieces of watermelon. Even though watermelon contains lots of water, you still need to drink plenty of water, at least 2 litres a day. It can be pure water or unsweetened tea.
Fruit smoothie
Watermelon is of course a great ingredient in smoothies. For example, you could blend together two apricots, 100g melon and 100ml apple juice. For a melon and quark dessert with wheatgerm, take 75g of low fat quark, 50g low fat yoghurt, 1-2 tsp cane sugar, 100g berries, 1 tsp wheatgerm, a bit of grated lemon peel and 200g watermelon cubed. You could serve the dessert in a hollowed out watermelon half and garnish it with lemon peel.